On Presentability
by Artemis Requiem
Summary: SHayera Diana and Artemis


Shayera Hol works her way around the track at a steady and fairly rapid pace. From the sheen of sweat that can be seen, she's been at this for some time now.

"...and here's the gymnasium," Diana is saying to Artemis, as she leads the other Amazon into the gym. "It isn't bad, if you're only looking to lift some weights. Personally, I prefer the holodeck, where they can create very realistic training scenarios. You'd swear you were actually /in/ the place that the program was simulating." She lifts a hand to wave at Shayera, then asides to Artemis, "That is Shayera Hol. She's from a planet named Thanagar."

Artemis looks appreciatively at the workout area. Keeping fit is an important part of her daily routine, and indeed, the stir crazy induced by a giant space station might get much worse if she doesn't use up excess energy somehow. Talk of the Holodeck gets a bit of a tilt of her head, but she decides just not to ask too much about it right now. "A planet called Thanagar? I think I have heard that name before."

Shayera Hol raises her hand in reply to Diana's wave as she rounds a bend that brings her closer to the pair. She doesn't speak, not being in conversation distance quite yet, but she does study the woman with the Amazon.

"Really?" Diana arches a brow at Artemis, initially a little surprised. It's fleeting, though. Just because Themyscira is completely closed off from the rest of the world doesn't necessarily mean Bana-Migdhall was. How else would they have continued the line, after all? "Hmm. Well, her people did attempt to take this world over. She helped us stop them." Clasping her hands behind her back, she keeps her gaze on Shayera as she jogs along.

"Yes, that is where I heard of them." Artemis nods now in recognition, examining Shayera more closely as she approaches. "And-well, not to repeat the Batman's mistrust but she is not an agent?" She lowers her voice incrementally as the hawk-runner approaches.

Shayera Hol finally nears the pair, not having sped her pace to reach them. Once she does though, she slows to a walk. "Diana." She says in greeting, then looks again towards Artemis with both curiosity and a sharply appraising eye.

"She was, but not any longer. What is in the past has been forgiven." If never forgotten. Diana greets Shayera with a smile as she approaches. "Hello, Shayera. Shay, this is Artemis of the Bana-Migdhall Amazons. Artemis, Shayera Hol of Thanagar. Shay was one of the seven founding members of the Justice League."

Artemis squares her shoulders as Shayera approaches. "Greetings to you, Shayera Hol of Thanagar. I am pleased to meet another founder of this Justice League." She tries this handshake thing again, since she has been leaving her javelin in her quarters to avoid unfortunate startling incidents.

Never forgotten, least of all by Shayera. Nor, in her case, forgiven. She smiles back to Diana, then looks again to Artemis as they are introduced. "And to you, Artemis of the Bana-Migdall." Rather than a handshake, she offers a warriors arm clasp.

This is so much easier than dealing with Batman. "She's met Kal and Batman already," Diana explains to Shayera, with a wry smile accompanying the latter's name. "He was less than pleased to have her on-board. Kal, on the other hand, was very pleasant. A shame we didn't get to speak with him under better circumstances."

Ah, this is better! Arm clasping Artemis understands, and returns readily. "Yes, the Batman was of the opinion I was a saboteur or something of a similar nature." Artemis mutters with a sniff. "I have also met your Flash." There's a sourer note there, but with no reports of serious injuries, it can't have been that bad. "Truly, I am grateful for your Justice League's hospitality."

Shayera smiles a bit as well, when Batman is mentioned. "He means well." she replies to his being less than pleased and his opinions. She looks curious again, and asks "Better circumstances?" Artemis' arm is held for a long moment before being released, and while Shayera certainly doesn't squeeze hard, she does have a very firm grip.

"Yes, he and I got into an argument." Diana shrugs it off. "For a man who has spent his life learning, trying to broaden his horizons, he can be so stubborn and close-minded at times." At the mention of Flash, Diana gives a small shake of her head. "I believe Kal spoke with him about his behavior, Artemis. He means well, really, but he... operates faster than his good sense can keep up with."

Artemis simply nods. "I admit, were someone to bring a man past the walls of Bana-Mighdall while they still stood I would not have taken it well either." She still struggles to find grace about it in reverse, is all. "At the very least, others were present to smooth things over at the time, yourself and Sand. And the shining-groin one and the She-Brazillian and the robot lord." She gives a bit of a shudder at the last. Ted's butlerbots were unsettling.

Shayera looks a bit pained. She asks Diana "What did Flash do?" Her tone suggests there are so many possible ways he could have offended Artemis. "His tongue does move a lot faster than his brain." She blinks, then. "Shining-groin one?" She looks like she's not sure she wants to know.

"I understand his concern. However, his refusal to see it any other way but his own is maddening." Diana looks amused by Artemis' names for the three 'sun bathers'. To Shayera, "Flash was being himself." Which is Diana's polite way of saying 'childish and immature'. "In his attempts at being friendly, he was overwhelming and rude, though he didn't mean to be. She's referring to Booster, Fire, and Beetle. Booster was in his..." She doesn't know the official term and gestures a little helplessly before labeling the speedo, "Underwear."

Artemis decides to employ tact just the one time; it's Diana's island Flash was blaspheming in her opinion, after all. So she just nods in agreement with that, allowing a little half-smile. "Yes, those were their names I believe. Beetle was the one with the unliving servitors. I believe they had been exercising and simply made themselves presentable." Which is perfectly acceptable!

"If Batman started seeing things any way but his, we'd think there was something wrong with him." Shayera replies to Diana with a smile. Then, she nods slowly to the explanation of flash and the sunbathers. "I... see." She looks a little pained, at the thought of Booster in shiny gold underwear. "I don't think Booster exercises in his underwear." Though, the slight stress on the word 'think' says she isn't really sure.

"Very true," Diana replies to Shayera, with a faint smile. "Still, I would have liked for him to have welcomed one of my family into our home rather than treating her like a 'security risk'." She shrugs it away, though. Bruce was just being Bruce. "I believe that's what she is saying, Shay. He put the shiny underwear on to make himself presentable after exercising."

Artemis agrees with Diana's statement with a simple bob of her head. of course he did. This may be more discussion than Booster's underwear has faced in months. "In any case, they were most kind as well. This world is still new to me, though I have been awake...perhaps two years?" She's lost track of the time a bit. She has to think about it a little. "Diana was the only other amazon I was able to locate."

Shayera Hol's forehead wrinkles. "And shiny underwear made him *more* presentable? What was he wearing before?" Though, thinking too long about Booster Gold's underwear is likely not good for anyone's sanity. Her thoughts, fortunately, soon turn to other things. "Awake?" She looks from one to the other for clarification.

"I believe," Diana muses, "in the future they have realized how silly Man's nudity taboos of modern time are, and done away with them." Which is to say, Booster was exercising in the manner common to Ancient Greece. With no shiny underwear on at all. With Fire and Beetle. Which is really perfectly acceptable to Diana.

To Artemis as well. It's so simple! She just nods again, agreeably. "Wait, in the future?" She inquires, curiously. "And yes, I awakened from a long sleep...I-my tribe was destroyed before Man's World had even fully begun its march, though even then we isolated ourselves and admitted only those supplicants we needed to continue our lines."

Shayera Hol rubs her eyes when Diana says that, the pain building when she gets that image. Thank goodness there's Artemis' history to be focused on. "Ahhhh... I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been a very hard two years, handling all the changes."

Diana tilts her head at Artemis. This is news to her as well as Shayera; she had been under the impression that the Bana had fallen recently. Poor Artemis. "Yes, Booster is from the future. They have time traveling devices by then, and so he came back to now." Yes, it sounds confusing even to her own ears. "It's... complicated."

Artemis lowers her eyes for a moment and gives a small shrug. "What is past is past, and their memories live on with me. And yes, this place is baffling." She lifts her chin again though, and her eyes blaze. "But he that is responsible still lives, and so while I also live, vengeance can be taken." Her hands flex, instinctively, and she makes herself cross her arms to not fidget. "It-sounds complicated," she belatedly agrees.

Shayera Hol's eyes rise. "Who was responsible?" she asks. To the other then, she agrees "Earth can be very baffling. It took me a while to get the hang of the place, too." She leaves off commenting on the whole time-traveling thing. She's still trying not to be traumatized by the thought of Booster in gold underwear.

The thought is less traumatizing than that of Booster in /no/ underwear, because you just know he'd still have on his goggles. Actually that thought has Diana struggling not to snicker out loud.

"Teth-Adam. I believe he is called now Black Adam." Artemis asserts. "I will find him." Even if he's all evasive and stuff. "I have learned much as I wandered, and learn more still, yet there is always-what is funny?" She tilts her gaze towards Diana, curious.

Shayera Hol blinks once when Teth-Adam is mentioned. There is, after all, the tugging of memory that isn't entirely that of Shayera Hol. "Teth-Adam." she repeats quietly, then also looks towards Diana. "It's the goggles, isn't it. You know he'd be wearing the goggles no matter what."

"Yes," Diana nods to Shayera, still battling hold back a laugh. "It's the goggles." She covers her mouth with her hand and inhales deeply through her nose to help fight off the wholly inappropriate grin. Only after she's gotten herself under control does she drop her hand back to her side. "I apologize, Artemis. I did not mean to make light of the threat of Teth-Adam."

Artemis has to think back a bit-he WAS wearing goggles, or the glasses things-at the time. She just snorts a bit, in a kind of unladylike fashion at this. Well, men will be men. Always strange. "It is well enough, he is not here now, nor do I know where to find him." She allows.

Men are pretty strange. Shayera watches Diana try to not laugh, not at all helping by grinning. She doesn't press it though, and after another moment returns her attention to Artemis. "I'm sure he'll be found, if he still lives. Will you spend every moment searching, or will you be also taking some time to learn to function well in the world as it is now?"

That question almost catches Artemis off-guard. She blinks a bit, then arranges her thoughts. "I must learn this world while I search or I...make mistakes." She grimaces a little. She woke up in Egypt, a real enclave of feminism. "I shall not impose upon the Watchtower's hospitality too much longer, and likely continue my work."

Shayera Hol nods. "Both Diana and I have had to learn Earth culture from scratch, so either one of us could help you pretty well with it." she says. "If you wanted a hand, I mean." She stands with a posture that says she's relaxed, but still ready. Just in case. Her hands rest on her hips comfortably.

The offer of assistance from Shayera earns the other woman a smile from Diana. "We will find this Black Adam, Artemis. The League's systems are very sophisticated. If he has been active, or when he goes active, we will know."

Artemis smiles a little bit weakly there, and nods again. "I confess I mislike feeling like a beggar, but I am...deeply grateful for your assistance, sisters." She decides to include Shayera as well. "It means much to me in this time of struggle."

Shayera says to Artemis "You didn't beg. It was offered." A fine distinction perhaps, but one that does often spare dignity. "Besides, that way you know you're looking in ways that won't get you in too much trouble."

"As Shayera said, Artemis, it is offered help. I would do no less for any other of my sisters." Diana offers the other Amazon a smile along with her words. "Speaking of sisters... Cassie's school should be over for their summer break soon. I promised I would take her to Themyscira, along with Mary and Kara for training with the Amazons. They are each in desperate need of it. I would be honored if you would both accompany us as well."

"Really? To Themyscira?" Artemis straightens up a bit, abruptly. Her eyes light, and then she tries to act dignified again. "I would be honored. It is-well, our tribes did not part on all of the best of terms, but I am glad that some sisters survive and prosper even into this age." It is only then, at the end, that she remembers to inquire: "Who are Cassie and Mary and Kara?"

Shayera Hol watches the two women, quiet for the moment as they talk about Themyscira.

"Be that as it may, I have long ago decided that my mother's choices do not, necessarily, have to be /my/ choices." Which is why Diana is here now. "Though our tribes parted ways, they are all still Amazons. You are welcome home, Artemis." That said, after a pause she explains about the girls, "Mary and Kara are members of the League. Kara is also Kal's cousin. Cassie is... well, that's a bit more complicated. The short version is that she is my charge. She's the daughter of Zeus, and has been put into my care by Athena's decree, though Athena has also decreed I can't tell her this, because she is being tested."


End file.
